Stereotype threat (ST) has become a well-documented phenomenon (Spencer, Steele, & Quinn, 1999; Steele, 1997; Steele & Aronson, 1995), but its specific mechanisms remain unclear. It is commonly accepted that ST harms task performance through a cognitive process pathway wherein working memory capacity is impaired (Schmader & Beilock, 2012; Schmader, Johns, & Forbes, 2008). However, there is a lack of consensus regarding the motivational pathway of ST, as some researchers suggest that ST motivates individuals to dispel stereotypes (e.g., Schmader et al., 2008) and others suggest that ST is demotivating (e.g., Walton, Murphy, & Ryan, 2015). This research attempted to reconcile these conflicting motivational accounts, suggesting that motivation is initially bolstered when ST is experienced and eventually undermined under conditions of chronic ST. Drawing on Lindsley, Brass, and Thomas’s (1995) conceptualization of efficacy-performance spirals, a chronic process model of stereotype threat is presented. Individuals participated in a multiple-trial goal-regulation task in which individuals set and pursue goals, adjusting goals after each trial in response to performance feedback. Partial support was found for several components of the proposed model. The present study contributes to the literature by (a) integrating disparate portrayals of motivation within ST research; (b) delineating ST processes within individuals and across time, utilizing a process-oriented model; and (c) examining ST within the scope of goal-setting, an organizationally-relevant mediating mechanism through which ST may impair performance in real-world settings.
Read
